ADHD, Autism Spectrum

Autism spectrum disorders and ADHD are not simple to diagnose. People can fall anywhere on the spectrum and their cause can be complex involving multiple factors. These “disorders” are another form of imbalance in the metabolic pathways. Genetics, environment, emotion and lifestyle all impact the nervous system.  These “disorders” are not made up or fictitious. Some people may have mild imbalances whereas others may have disabling imbalances that effect their ability to function in society. 

Many conventional medications are used to help suppress or mitigate the effects of the deficient metabolic pathways. But as you may know through reading my other pages, functional medicine likes to treat the cause. As I mentioned above, it is a complex web.  Multiple factors may need to be addressed. Medicating the symptom may actually make things worse. Managing the “disorder” is more effective and leaves a person feeling like they have more control over their health.

Genetics is only one piece of the puzzle. We are all born with a blue print known as our gene’s, but we have something that lies on the surface of the gene called the epigenome. This is the part that determines how your gene’s will express themselves. We “trigger” them or turn them on and off.  Environment and emotions strongly influence the “triggers”.

For example, we may be born with our parents genetics. Perhaps our parents both had Alzheimer’s. Does that mean you will definitely get the same disease because you have the same genes? No, you may never “trigger” that gene in the same way your parents did and never get Alzheimer’s. That doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk, and quite frankly, you may be highly at risk considering both parents had that disease.  Twin studies have shown how people with the same gene’s can have different diseases. This is how we can determine that gene’s do not exclusively determine our health.

What we are finding is that some people have higher risk than others due to certain “mutations” in their gene expression. We can measure this by looking at the amount of single neucleotide polymorphisms you have (SNP for short) and other genetic factors. Gene research is now showing common SNP’s for certain diseases. Many neurological disorders have similar SNP’s. For example, Autism disorders have similar SNP’s to Alzheimer’s. Both are neurological disorders so it makes sense, right?

Here are some commonalities with neurological disorders such as anxiety, autism spectrum, Alzheimer’s, ADHD. These disorders are found in people who have high glutamate receptor activity. Glutamic acid or glutamate is the neurotransmitter responsible for the excitatory response in the brain. Like all processes in our body, we have the opposing side known as GABA (gamma amino buytric acid), which is inhibitory. These two neurotransmitters balance each other.

Glutamate is responsible for the learning, attention and functioning parts of our system whereas GABA is the calming, creative and social part of our system. It’s involved in language, eye contact and bowel function. The gut is highly linked to the brain and emotion. Highly intelligent people are known to have high glutamate receptor sites.  You may know a person with Aspberger’s or Autism that show extremely high intelligence but be low in social skills.

Some people are born with higher glutamate receptor sites just as they may be born with high GABA receptors sites. An imbalance may influence the persons ability to learn, socialize, pay attention, and function. But let’s talk about what other things can drive glutamate.

Food and nutrients influence these neurotransmitters as well as stress or emotion. Foods high in preservatives, MSG, additives, etc can greatly influence glutamate/GABA balance by pushing the glutamate response too far. Foods high in certain amino acids can also influence glutamate. Certain nutrients can help to rebalance these pathways by pushing the pathway in a different way. NAC, glutathione, B6, Taurine just to name a few can help bring you back into balance. Dosing is specific to the individual. Diets that focus on whole foods low in sugar and toxins have had positive results.

Immune function can also influence glutamate/GABA balance. Gut bacteria are highly influencial to our immune system. It’s estimated that 85% of our immune function lies in our gut and our gut balance. Autistic children have shown to have thicker mucus making them a breeding ground for persistent bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. Because their immune function is deficient, they become more susceptible to food allergies and other autoimmune disorders. They tend to have low levels of GABA which influences bowel function.

The gut is where our nutrients are absorbed, our immune function lies and where part of the detoxification process happens. Autistic and ADHD people have shown to have a slower ability to detox metals such as mercury and aluminum. These metals are dangerous because they have a high affinity to lipids. Your brain and nervous system are made up of fatty acids. (Note: your brain uses sugar not fat for energy. If it used fat, it would eat itself.) Mercury and Aluminum toxicity can lead to brain damage. Even low levels can greatly impact brain function.

Microbial infection such as with gut dysbiosis and viruses can influence the glutamate/GABA balance. Some viruses such as MMR have shown to decrease an enzyme the influences glutamate. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is the enzyme effected by the Rubella virus. A decrease in this enzyme can lead to an increase in glutamate.

Emotions, especially stress and trauma influence the gut and your brain much in the same way as nutrients by releasing certain hormones, increasing inflammation therefor driving certain pathways influencing glutamate and GABA balance. Some ADHD and Autistic children benefit greatly from exercise because it helps them “use up” glutamate and control stress hormones and inflammation. They really do need to move. Exercise that involves both focus and movement such as gymnastics, karate, rock climbing, etc have been shown to improve  attention and ability to learn

So as you can see, there are many influences from genetics, viruses, toxic load, gut health, immune function, emotions and lifestyle that can greatly influence these disorders. A multiprong approach would be best.  All of these areas must be addressed to bring about healing and balance. If you know someone who is on a medication that is not responding well, consider a functional practitioner that specializes in this area.